


The Ship of Dreams

by kmi504



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), Titanic AU - Fandom
Genre: F/F, basically this is what happens when you combine Supergirl and Titanic and make everything gay, but technically not our people, it's a ship within a ship and they're both on ships, this is the Titanic... people die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-11 15:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11150967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmi504/pseuds/kmi504
Summary: One thousand years before sentient life ever evolved on Earth, Kryptonians used the planet as a dumping ground for a dangerous byproduct of their energy manufacturing, kryptonite. The practice was eventually outlawed, and the kryptonite supposedly removed from the Earth. Millennia passed before a lone piece of the purest form of kryptonite to ever exist was uncovered by human hands. In the race to find the deadly rock before their enemies, the DEO and Superfriends are led to an unlikely place- the ruins of the famed shipwreck, Titanic. During the search, they will uncover a tale of love, disaster, and fate that test the limits of, “Love Binds Us All.”





	The Ship of Dreams

           “Ugh, I hate confined spaces! How did I get stuck down here?” Winn complained as he struggled to maneuver himself around Alex and ready an exploration vehicle attached to their submersible.

 

           “Because,” Alex snapped, “I’m your superior officer, and I gave you an order!” She was in no mood to deal with Winn’s complaining. This was the team’s seventh dive, and the burning pit in Alex’s stomach grew larger each day that passed without finding what they were searching for.

 

           Ever since the DEO learned of a piece of kryptonite that had the ability to kill her sister in seconds after exposure, Alex made it her personal mission to find it before CADMUS or any other unforeseen enemy. But it had been months since the search began, and every lead turned into a dead end. Weeks after the trail had gone cold; Maggie called in a favor with an old friend asking for help finding information related to a “very old and very rare jewel.” After a lot of digging and cutting through bureaucratic red tape, they eventually found an old insurance claim for a necklace containing a “unique and precious green stone,” that was filed just after the sinking of the Titanic. Alex knew it was a long shot, but she would search every last millimeter of this planet if it meant keeping her sister safe.

 

           That is how Alex found herself 3,821 meters below the surface of the ocean, in a glorified sardine can staring at the wreckage of the Titanic, with Winn aggravating her.

 

           “Sheesh, Ms. Grumpy Gills. Someone didn’t have their required amount of caffeine this morning,” Winn blurted out in an oblivious attempt to lighten the mood.

 

           “Just get the remote explorer ready before I eject you out of here and make you swim back to the surface.”

 

           “Yeah… That would make me dead in about two microseconds because of the water pressure.”

 

           “Well, then I guess you better swim fast.”

 

           “And to think I was going to share my pasta surprise with you for lunch.”

 

           “Winn,” Alex sighed, “the only surprise is that you don’t get food poisoning after eating it. The DEO locker room smells better than whatever is in that dish.”

 

           A sudden burst of static from the comms unit pulled Alex and Winn from their banter. Eventually, Lucy’s amused, yet authoritative, voice trickled through the static, “If you two are done bickering over Winn’s disgusting taste in food, Vasquez and I are ready to launch the ROV over here in Mir 2. Oh, and Winn, you’re sitting on the comms unit again.”

 

           “Oops! Yup. That’s… that’s totally my bad,” Winn said as he struggled to reposition himself. “We’re good to go over here too boss lady... person…ma’am… ma’am person,” he stuttered out after he dared to make eye contact with a very unenthused Alex.

 

           Alex glared at Winn as she snatched the unit from his hand, “We copy you Mir 2, we’re ready to launch as well. Drop down along the hull and go in through the first-class gangway door. I want you guys working the D deck reception area and the dining saloon. Remember to check everything as thoroughly as you can without disturbing too much of the wreck site.”

 

           “Copy that Mir 1. We’re launching now.” The video feed from Mir 2’s ROV appeared on the screen as soon as Lucy gave the command, and Alex positioned herself closer to Winn to get a better look. No matter how many times Alex saw the wreckage, it was still as haunting as the first. The once mighty ship was an engineering marvel of its day. Now it sits broken and crumpled, slowly turning into a rust stain at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean after failing to complete its maiden voyage.

 

           Alex took a steadying breath before she nodded her head towards Winn,  a silent and understood order to launch. 

 

           “Launching Gollum now,” Winn replied as the video feed from their ROV appeared next to the feed from Mir 2.  

 

           Alex rolled her eyes as she guided Winn through the wreckage, “Alright, start heading down the stairwell and drop down to B deck.”

 

           “Your wish is my computer command,” Winn joked as he grabbed the controls to pilot the ROV.

 

           “There. B deck. Get in there. Get in there.”

 

           Alex watched the screen intently as Winn maneuvered the ROV. The personal effects that littered the rooms and halls, made it impossible to forget just how many people Titanic took with it to its watery grave. A weathered old boot, a mangled pair of eyeglasses, a shattered doll, all wasting away with the Titanic on the ocean floor.

 

           “Watch the door frame. Watch it!” Alex called out.

 

           “I see it. I got it.”

 

           “We’re good? We’re alright?”

 

           “We’re fine. Just chill Alex.”

 

           “Okay, make your turn. Watch the wall.”

 

           Lucy’s voice rang over the comms again, and pulled Alex from her concentration, “We just made it to the piano. Still no sign of the kryptonite.”

 

           “Copy that. We’re in parlor suite B54. Continue with your sweep and let us know if you find anything,” Alex responded and turned her attention back to the screen in front of her.

 

           “Right there. Right there! That’s it! That’s the bedroom door!”

 

           “I see it. I see it,” Winn said, as he carefully maneuvered the ROV through the threshold of the door. “We’re in! We’re there!”

 

           The camera atop the ROV began to survey the room. Alex’s eyes attempted to absorb every pixel on the screen, determined to not miss a single detail.

 

           “Hold it. Hold it just a second. Go back to the right. That wardrobe door. Get closer.”

 

           “Your spidey senses tingling?”

 

           “I want to see what’s under it.”

 

           “Alright Gollum, it’s time to find the precious.” Winn positioned the ROV by the fallen wardrobe door and detached the mechanical arms while listening to Alex’s instructions.

 

           “Take it easy. It might come apart. Go, go, go. Flip it over. Flip it over. Turn it over. Keep going. Go, go, go. Okay, drop it.” 

 

           “Holy cannoli. Are you seeing this, Alex?”

 

           Under the door was a lead-lined safe. A determined smile flashed across Alex’s face as she stared at the screen with a small flicker of hope that their search had come to an end.

 

           Alex spoke into the comms sounding more optimistic than she had in weeks, “Mir 2, this is Mir 1. Go ahead and retract your ROV and begin surfacing. We found something over here.”

 

           “Copy that Mir 1. We’ll see you at the surface.”

 

           Once they reached the surface, Alex started instructing the other agents on what to do with their newly discovered item, “Bring the safe to the restoration area and open it only once it’s behind the radiological safety zone. I want everything cleaned, preserved, and cataloged. If the necklace is in there, I want to be notified immediately. I’m heading back to my quarters to prepare for the next debriefing. Does everyone have their orders?”

 

           A resounding, “yes ma’am,” rang out as the agents quickly went about their duties. Alex turned and dragged her feet to her quarters. She hadn’t slept more than four hours in the past few days and was running on adrenaline and caffeine. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her, yet still, Alex’s head raced with so many questions that she knew would go unanswered. Why did Kryptonians use the Earth as a dump site to begin with? How did they miss a piece of Kryptonite after supposedly removing it all? Why did humans have to find it and think that it was a precious gemstone to be worn? How was she supposed to protect her sister when it seemed as if the entire universe conspired against her?

 

           Alex sat down at a small desk inside of her room and pulled out a file that she had read a million times. Perhaps reading it a million and one times would give her a new lead. One hour and half a file later, the phone in her quarters started to ring, “Alex it’s Lucy. We’ve been going through the things in the safe. The necklace wasn’t there, but we found something you’re going to want to see.”

 

           Alex quickly made her way to the restoration area the DEO had set up on the ship to preserve as much of the evidence as possible. As she walked in, she saw everyone huddled around a desk, gawking at a piece of paper that was floating in a solution. “This better be good. What did you find?”

 

           Eyeing Alex carefully, Vasquez was the first one to speak, “A sketch.”

 

           “A sketch? You called me in here to look at a sketch? Why did anyone think I would be interested-” Alex stopped her sentence short when she finally looked at the paper. All she could do was stand there shocked, not believing what her eyes were seeing. It was a sketch of Lena. But it couldn’t be Lena, that wasn’t possible. Yet somehow, she was looking at a drawing of Lena, laying on a couch wearing nothing except for what appeared to be the necklace they had been searching for.

 

           Alex stepped away from the table, feeling too awkward to continue to stare at the drawing. Lena was human and in her twenties. It wasn’t possible for it to be her. But if Alex didn’t know any different, she would swear that it was Lena drawn on that paper. After a few moments, she was able to regain her composure, “Let’s not let everyone see that sketch. I know it’s impossible for it to be Lena, but until we figure out what’s going on, let’s use some discretion. Lucy, head up to command and get in touch with J’onn. Let him know what we found. I’m going to call Kara, see if she knows anything that could possibly help.”

 

           “Kara and Lena are talking again?” Lucy asked. “I thought Lena said she needed space after...” Lucy paused trying to find the right words. But Alex began to speak before she could find them.

 

           “She did and I’m not sure if they’re talking. But if anyone would know or could even get through to Lena, it would be Kara.”

 

           Lucy sighed as she shook her head and walked towards the command center. Winn and Vazquez took care covering the sketch, as Alex grabbed a satellite phone that was set up in the room and dialed Kara’s number.

 

           Kara answered quickly, sounding as perky as ever, _“Hi Alex! How are things going over there! I miss everyone!”_

 

           Alex smiled, “How did you know it was me? This is a general use number?”

 

            _“Because you’re my sister and it’s my job to automatically know when you're calling. Kind of like a sibling ESP thing.”_

 

           “Right,” Alex laughed, “Hey listen, this is going to sound odd, but… How old is Lena?”

 

            _“Her twenty-fifth birthday was a few months ago, remember? Maggie made a joke that Lena was finally old enough to rent a car if her limo driver wouldn’t take her to Chuck E. Cheese. Then Lena said that at least she can legally ride in a car without a booster seat.”_

 

           Alex chuckled at the memory. Kara had insisted on Lena coming to game night. Eventually, Lena relented and accepted the invitation. Everyone treated her warmly like she had been their friend for years. They all had a feeling that Kara would melt their faces off if they treated Lena any differently. As the night went on Lena began to relax, and thanks to the unfamiliar warmth and alcohol, she had let it slip that it was actually her birthday.  

 

            _“Is there a reason you’re calling from the middle of the Atlantic to ask about Lena’s age?”_

 

           Kara’s question pulled Alex from the memory, as she turned to face the table that was holding the sketch, “How much does Lena know about her birth mother?”

 

            _“I’m not sure. She never really talked about her birth mother. She did mention one time that her great-grandmother was a survivor of Titanic and that they share a first name. Isn’t that funny? No, wait… Funny’s not the right word… cool… no… Alex, what word am I looking for?”_

           Alex’s lips formed a slight smirk as she chuckled out, “Are you sure you’re a journalist?”

 

            _“Ha. Ha. Ha. That’s a fake laugh in case you couldn’t tell. I’d like to see you have to learn over 100 earth languages on top of the alien languages you already studied and your native language. See how many mistakes you make.”_

           “Why did you learn so many Earth languages again?” Alex asked, remembering how Kara use to help her in French class despite only being on the planet for three months.

 

            _“I didn’t know where my pod was going to land. Besides I was stuck in the phantom zone for twenty-four years. That was a lot of time for my pod’s programming to teach me different languages while I was asleep.”_

           Alex frowned at the thought of Kara being trapped alone for so long. Kara’s kind and warm demeanor, combined with her optimistically upbeat personality, made it easy to forget just how much she’d lost and been though. To Alex, that would always be Kara’s true superpower.

 

           “Well, I’d say you were right the first time,” Alex smiled, “Funny definitely fits here… in more ways than one. Listen, I have to go. But call J’onn and have him fill you in on everything. Right now, he can probably explain it better than I can.”   

 

            _“Okay… is everything alright? This is kind of a weird phone call.”_

 

           “Everything’s fine. We just found something, and I’m not sure what to make of it. I’ll call you later, and we can talk more. Love you.”

            _“Sure, no problem. Love you too.”_

 

           Three hours after her phone call with Kara, Alex was startled by Winn knocking on her door. When she opened the door, he stood there like a deer in headlights. Alex didn’t know why Winn was knocking on her door looking like she had just threatened him with her index finger again, but she knew she wouldn’t like it.

 

           “We, umm, have a chopper inbound,” he stuttered.

 

           “What the hell are you talking about Winn? Who’s on it?”

 

           “Lena, her great-grandmother, Kara, James, and Maggie. Lena and, well, Lena are coming per J’onn’s orders, Kara and James are coming per Cat Grant’s orders… apparently, and Maggie is coming because Kara kept insisting that having another investigative eye would be useful in this situation. Although if you ask me, Kara insisted because she knows how much you miss her.”

 

           “I didn’t want Kara anywhere near here! It’s too dangerous! And what the hell does Cat Grant have to do with any of this?!”

 

           “Kara said Cat overheard her talking with James about Lena’s great-grandmother being on the Titanic, and Cat said to get the story or she’d send someone else to do it. Of course, Lena didn’t want that. J’onn definitely didn’t want that. So, Kara is on her way with James, our trusty lead lined photojournalist.”

 

           Alex shook her head and let out a disapproving chuckle, “This is a disaster. No one is even supposed to know we’re here!”

 

           Winn gave Alex a sympathetic look as he reached out to squeeze her shoulder, “I know, but they’ll be here in five minutes, and I have some concerns about this old Lena doppelgänger.”

 

           “Concerns?” Alex questioned, crossing her arms.

 

           “I got Lena’s great-grandmother’s full name from J’onn when he called, a Lena Dawson. I did a background check and cross-referenced every person on the Titanic’s manifest list. There is no record of a Lena Dawson or any Lena for that matter, ever being on board. In fact, there’s no record of a Lena Dawson ever existing before the 1920’s when she started working as an assistant to an engineer, who she later married. Also, the fact that Lionel Luthor had an affair with this woman’s granddaughter can’t be a coincidence. When you put it all together, something just doesn’t add up.”

 

           “I agree with you Winn, but unless Lena looks magnificent for her age, I’m going to guess that it’s not actually her in the drawing. This is the closest lead we’ve had, and until we find this damn necklace, we’re all going to have to piece this story together as best we can. As soon as they land and everyone gets settled, assemble them all in the restoration room. The sooner we can start unraveling this thing, the better.”   

 

           A few minutes after Winn left, Alex began to make her way towards the restoration room hoping to be able to talk to Kara in private before everyone else got there. Luckily Kara was already there, hands in her pockets as stared out the window lost in her thoughts.

 

           “You got here fast. I heard you brought the whole gang,” Alex said as she walked into the room, announcing her presence.

 

           “Alex!” Kara squealed as she ran towards her sister and hugged her for the first time in weeks. “I needed everyone in the same spot, even if it is just temporary.”

 

           Alex wrapped her arms around her sister, hugging her as tight as she could. “I know. It’s been a rough year.”  

 

           Alex studied Kara for a minute, trying to get a read on what she was thinking. When she couldn’t find the answers she was looking for, Alex tried a more direct approach, “So, did you really put yourself in mortal danger to get a puff story for Cat Grant, or is there something else I should know about? Like, say, something about a certain person talking to you again?”

 

           Kara sighed as she looked down and adjusted her glasses, trying to choose her words carefully. “The part about the story is true. But Lena still hasn’t talked to me since she found out I was Supergirl. She barely even looked at me on the flight over here. Cat was the one that actually called Lena. She overheard James and I talking about this whole thing; I swear there are some days when I’m almost positive Cat is the one with super hearing. When I tried telling her that Lena and I weren’t exactly on speaking terms anymore, she shot me a look that I haven’t seen since I tried to take one of her cupcakes, and walked back to her office. The next thing I knew, Cat was calling me in there saying that Lena had agreed to the story and that I had better fix whatever happened because no one in their right mind would ever lose a source like that without putting up a fight. It was a little strange. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk so passionately about sources before. After I left Cat’s office, James said that he could cover for me and get everything I’d need to write the story. But all I could think was that Lena had agreed to this and that if I didn’t do it…”

 

           “Lena would push you away further, and you’d lose the friendship you had with her,” Alex finished after seeing Kara struggle to put her thoughts into words. 

 

           “Yeah,” Kara sighed. “I just… I hate the way she found out. I wish it all happened differently; that I had the chance to tell her. I miss my friend Alex.”  

 

           Alex pulled Kara into a quick hug as everyone started to trickle into the room.

 

           When Alex saw Maggie enter the room, she smiled, feeling content and happy for the first time in weeks. Not being able to wait any longer, Alex walked up to Maggie and kissed her, pouring weeks of emotions into a single kiss.  

 

           Maggie smiled as she pulled away ever so slightly, “Wow Danvers. I guess the heart isn’t the only thing that grows fonder.”

 

           “Zip it, Dimples,” Alex laughed.

 

           “That’s Detective Dimples when we’re in a professional setting,” Maggie whispered onto Alex’s lips.  

 

           “Oh Rao,” Kara sighed. “Would the Magoo couple care to join the rest of us over here?”

 

           “What kind of exploration do they do on this ship?” Ms. Dawson asked as she looked towards Lena, who suddenly found it difficult to stifle a laugh.

 

           “Your sister is becoming very snarky,” Maggie murmured.

 

           “Yeah, I wonder who she’s picking it up from?” Alex knowingly asked while she shot a glance aimed towards Lena.

 

           As she walked towards the group, Alex extended her hand to Ms. Dawson and introduced herself and the rest of the agents in the room, “Ms. Dawson, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Alex Danvers, that’s Winn Schott and Lucy Lane, and… Vasquez do you have a first name?”

 

           “It’s just Vasquez ma’am, like Cher,” Vasquez responded.

 

           “It’s lovely to meet all of you,” Ms. Dawson said. “But, if you don’t mind, I would like to see my drawing.”

 

           “Of course, it’s right over here,” Alex stated while pointing towards the table holding the sketch.

 

            As Ms. Dawson eyes laid upon the sketch for the first time since the Titanic sank, Alex began to carefully explain what they were looking for, “Louis XVI wore a fabulous stone that was called the Green Emerald of the Crown which disappeared in 1792, about the same time old Louie lost everything from the neck up. The rumor goes that the stone was placed into a necklace and called the Power of the Earth.”

 

           “It was a dreadful, heavy thing,” Ms. Dawson said as she contorted her face in disgust. “I only wore it this once.”

 

           “I still can’t believe how similar we look. It’s like we’re twins,” Lena muttered as she stared, wide-eyed, at the sketch.

 

           “Are you uncomfortable yet?” Maggie asked as she playfully elbowed Lena.

 

           “I haven’t been comfortable in twenty-five years.”

 

           “You can take the emo out of the angst, but you can never take the angst out of the emo,” Maggie said as she shook her head.

 

           Alex ignored the discourse around her and continued, “We tracked it down through insurance records. An old claim that was settled under terms of absolute secrecy. Can you tell me who the claimant was Ms. Dawson?”

 

           “I should imagine someone named Thorul.”

 

           “Leonard Thorul, that’s right. The claim was for a necklace his son Lester bought for his fiancée. You. A week before he sailed on Titanic. And it was filed right after the sinking. So, the necklace had to have gone down with the ship. See the date?”

 

           Lena leaned over the table to get a closer look at the date on the drawing, “April 14, 1912.”

 

           “Which means your great-grandmother was wearing the necklace the day the Titanic sank,” Lucy stated.  

 

           “And that makes you my new best friend,” Alex said as she smiled.

 

           Ms. Dawson flashed Alex a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She sighed as she looked around at the recovered items, eye’s jumping from artifact to artifact. “It seems it’s time,” she said with a shaken breath, “It’s time for me to go back to Titanic.”

 

           Assuming that was his queue, Winn jumped in and began a very animated retelling of how the Titanic sank that include an actual animation and sound effects. “Okay, here we go. She hits the berg on the starboard side, right? She kind of bumps along punching holes like Morse code, -dit-dit-dit- along the side below the waterline. Then the forward compartments start to flood. Now, as the water level rises, it spills over the watertight bulkheads which, unfortunately, don’t go any higher than E deck. So now as the bow goes down the stern rises up, slow at first then faster and faster until finally, she’s got her whole ass sticking up in the air. And that’s a big ass. We’re talking 20, 30,000 tons. Okay? And the hull’s not designed to deal with that pressure. So, what happens? She splits, right down to the keel. And the stern falls back level. Then as the bow sinks, it pulls the stern vertical and then finally detaches. Now the stern section just kind of bobs there like a cork for a couple of minutes, floods, and finally goes under at about 2:20 AM, two hours and forty minutes after the collision. The bow section planes away, landing about a half a mile away going 20, 30 knots when it hits the ocean floor. Pretty cool, huh?”

 

           There was a long pause as everyone stared at Winn.

 

           “Buddy, next time put water in the coffee maker and not Red Bull,” James said, pulling the rest of the group from their blinking bewilderment.

 

           “Thank you for that fine forensic analysis, Mr. Schott. Of course, the experience of it was… somewhat different,” Ms. Dawson said as she took a steadying breath.

 

           “Will you share it with us?” Alex gently asked.

 

           Ms. Dawson turned and intently stared at a monitor playing footage of the sunken ship that was taken during the previous dive. Tears lined the edges of her eyes, and she let out a single sob as the memories flooded into her mind.

 

           James spoke first in an attempt to calm the distraught woman, “Lena, why don’t you take your grandmother to rest. It was a long trip. She doesn’t have to talk about this right now.”

 

           “Good idea,” Lena said as she moved to help her great-grandmother back to her quarters. “Let’s get some rest, and we’ll see if you’re up for talking later.”

 

           “No!” Ms. Dawson shouted as she pulled away from Lena’s grasp. “I’m fine! I… The story needs to be told. It’s time.”  

 

           Lena glanced up at Kara, who gave her a sympathetic smile, as she walked back to her previous spot between Maggie and James. Kara knew there was a time when Lena would have stood next to her in this situation. Now she’s just happy to be in the same room with Lena. Thankfully Ms. Dawson began to speak before Kara could get lost in her thoughts again.

 

           “It’s been eighty-four years- “

 

           “It’s okay. Just try to remember anything, anything at all,” Alex interrupted.

 

           “Do you want to hear this or not Ms. Danvers?”

 

           Everyone let out a soft chuckle as they gave their attention completely to Ms. Dawson.

 

           “It’s been eighty-four years, and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Titanic was called the ship of dreams. And it was. It really was.”


End file.
